And here again, came silence. The muscles in his hand tensed, hovered over the glass shards. Would this continue? Brief affection to be misplaced by their absence? Nigredo had been more than... nice... tonight, but in the pauses between, Albedo's heart hurt. What was he looking for here? What was it that he desired so fiercely? (Something no longer there.)

Beneath his fingers, the telltale glow had started, one wound closing as the other seeped blood. He swallowed, then moved to work the rest out, making a pile of glass next to him. In the minutes that passed, the regeneration would start, slower, and more tolling, than he would have preferred. His head throbbed, and the room tilted on its axis, causing him to put a hand to his eyes. Logic would tell one to eat, give the body back what it had just used, but even with the granola bars in his pocket, Albedo didn't think of it. He merely sat there, then after a minute, started to slowly get to his feet.